Mom: OK, Uncle John made this. He made three of them years before I got married: one for himself and Millie, one for Nanny and Grandpa, and one for me, which he saved. Me: Very prescient. Very hopeful. Mom: Well, I guess it was easier for him to make three at one time than two now and one later. My job on all three was to glue the blue paper--don't forget, I was young then--and make the Star of Bethlehem with the rays coming down. Me: How young? Mom: I would say maybe thirteen. Now Tommy and Sharon have Nanny and Grandpa's, Bobby has Aunt Millie and Uncle John's, and you were supposed to get mine. Me: Oh dear. No room in this apartment for that! Mom: Well, I don't think I have mine anymore. Me: What do you mean? Did it get tossed after your basement flooded? Mom: Maybe. It wasn't extremely sturdy. It probably got all...I'm sorry, Michael. Me: Not your fault. I would've donated it to the National Folk Art Museum. Mom: Oh! Me: Well, this is definitely folk art, right? Mom: Yes. Yes, it is. Me: You sure you don't have the figurines somewhere in those big plastic bins of yours? With the rest of your Christmas stuff? Mom: Maybe. I'm not sure. There's a bunch of bins I haven't gone through lately. They have a bunch of soft decorations from when you guys were little. Me: OK, we'll make sure to try to look for them next time I come back. What happened when you lost or broke the little figurines? Mom: I think a lot of them broke, because I remember gluing a lot of them. Your brothers would play with them and fight with them. And then the dogs...If I still have them, they could be the originals John bought or replacements I bought much later. Anyway, Uncle John would sometimes cover the top of the mangers with tin foil. Me: Hm. I don't remember them wrapped in tin foil. Shiny wrapping paper, that I remember. Mom: Maybe that was it. Maybe in the early years they used tin foil and then later they progressed to shiny wrapping paper. At some point later I covered mine with evergreens.

Situated between the Gredos mountain range and the Tagus river, Valdepalacios rises up over extensive lands and the natural passes between Castile and Extremadura. Valdepalacios Hotel Gourmand is one and a half hour’s drive from Madrid and just 9 km from exit 148 of the A-5 motorway (the road to Extremadura), on the road joining Oropesa with Puente del Arzobispo. Valdepalacios has 27 spacious bedrooms of 60-80m2, all quite different from one another and decorated with personal charm. Both the garden rooms, the romantic first floor bedrooms and the elegant modernity of the attic rooms have a common denominator: their personalised decoration and remarkable layout, which respects the building’s original pillars, and the views of each window that open out onto the countryside. All the hotel’s cuisine is managed by Santi Santamaria, the most renowned chef in Spain. You may sample our exquisite dishes and gourmet menus in our Tierra restaurant, within a tasteful and sensitive setting. Tierra is managed by chef Ismael Delgado (from Sant Celoni restaurant in Madrid) and his young, dynamic team, who will ensure that your stay in the hotel is an unforgettable gourmet experience. Don’t miss our breakfasts, teas and picnics with homemade bread and cakes, and own farm eggs... After an exciting day of bicycle or horseback riding, or after a relaxing trip in a horse-driven carriage with a picnic included, or a fishing excursion in our lake, finish the day in our spa. Located in some old restored outbuildings on the premises, we have created an impeccable spa for the exclusive use of clients of the hotel. Its large windows and natural light remind us that we are surrounded by nature. The guests of our 27 bedrooms may enjoy: a massage service, turkish bath, sauna, gymnasium, a hydrotherapy bath, heated swimming pool and special beauty treatments.